Daily devotion – Hard sayings!
John 6: 53 So Jesus said again, “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you cannot have eternal life within you. 54 But anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise that person at the last day. 55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56 Anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. 57 I live because of the living Father who sent me; in the same way, anyone who feeds on me will live because of me. 58 I am the true bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will not die as your ancestors did (even though they ate the manna) but will live forever.”
59 He said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.
Many Disciples Desert Jesus
60 Many of his disciples said, “This is very hard to understand. How can anyone accept it?”
61 Jesus was aware that his disciples were complaining, so he said to them, “Does this offend you? 62 Then what will you think if you see the Son of Man ascend to heaven again? 63 The Spirit alone gives eternal life. Human effort accomplishes nothing. And the very words I have spoken to you are spirit and life. 64 But some of you do not believe me.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning which ones didn’t believe, and he knew who would betray him.) 65 Then he said, “That is why I said that people can’t come to me unless the Father gives them to me.”
When God’s Word Feels Hard
At times, after hearing a message from God’s Word, some respond by saying, “That was hard today!”
Our flesh craves comfort, flattery, and ease. The old self resists being exposed or corrected. This was exactly the case in John 6, where many followed Jesus—not because they truly believed in Him—but because He provided them free food, multiplying the bread and fish. But when Jesus began to teach them the deeper truths of God, they found His words too difficult to accept and walked away.
This is why daily Bible reading and prayer are not optional but necessary for us as believers. They keep our hearts from growing cold and our minds from drifting back to old habits.
Paul reminds us in 2 Timothy 3:16-17:
“All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.”
Notice that the teaching of God’s Word corrects us when we are wrong. If we neglect time in Scripture, we will start feeding the flesh instead—our “old self”—as Paul warns in Galatians. The longer we go without God’s truth, the stronger our flesh becomes, and the more we will think and live in an unrighteous manner.
This week, build good habits with daily reading and prayer. As you do, you’ll find that instead of being “hard sayings,” God’s Word will become food for your soul, strengthening you each day in Christ.